Do the results last after LASIK or PRK?

By Kristina Oneill on December 29, 2013

Do the results last after LASIK or PRK?

This is a frequently asked question about how long will the results of LASIK or PRK last. The truth is there is no absolute answer. In the 15 to 20 years that doctors have been performing the PRK and LASIK procedures, the results have been permanent for most patients. There is a small percentage of patients who will have some decrease in their vision over many years, but for most of these patients the remaining vision is still very good and functional. In the unusual case where there is a change in the vision most of the time an enhancement can be performed to improve the patient’s visual results.

Refractive surgery, or laser vision correction, is believed to be a permanent procedure. Both LASIK and PRK are permanent procedures on reshaping of the cornea. Usually a patient will notice changes in their visual outcome when aging sets in...just like the rest of our body ages, so does your eye. A condition called presbyopia usually occurs around the early to mid forties.

The LASIK and PRK procedures create a permanent change in the shape of the eye. However, when the lens of the eye ages, usually it requires the need for reading glasses, or other problems such as cataracts (a cloudy lens) can occur and you will see a change in your vision. Refractive surgery will not prevent any age related conditions such as presbyopia or cataracts, it also does not cause them.